Isolated luciferases and the use thereof

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to the nucleotide and amino acid sequences, and to the activity and use, of the luciferases LuAL, Lu164, Lu16, Lu39, Lu45, Lu52 and Lu22.

The invention relates to the nucleotide and amino acid sequences, and to the activity and use, of the luciferases LuAL, Lu164, Lu16, Lu39, Lu45, Lu52 and Lu22.

Luciferases

Luminescence is the term given to the emission of photons in the visible spectral range, with this emission being brought about by excitated emitter molecules. In contrast to fluorescence, the energy for this is not supplied externally in the form of radiation of shorter wavelength.

A distinction is made between chemiluminescence and bioluminescence. Chemoluminescence is the term given to a chemical reaction which leads to an excited molecule which itself emits light when the excited electrons return to the normal energy level. Bioluminescence is the term used when this reaction is catalyzed by an enzyme. The enzymes which participate in the reaction are generally termed luciferases.

A review of luminescent organisms can be found in Hastings et al. 1995.

Luciferases are peroxidases or monooxygenases and dioxygenases. The enzyme substrates, which form the starting substances for the light-emitting products, are termed luciferins. They differ from species to species. The quantum yield of the systems lies between 0.1 and 0.9 photons per transformed substrate molecule (Idelgaufts, 1993).

Luciferases can be classified on the basis of their origin or their enzymic properties. An overview of some luciferase types is given below:

Bacterial Luciferase

TABLE 1 Bacterial luciferases Gene Ex- References/ product Organism Substrate pression Patents Lux Vibrio FMN, 495 nm cytosolic Apley et Genes fischerii Dodecanal, al., 1985 NADH Gustafson G., U.S. Pat. No. 5,196,524

Coelenterazine-Dependent Eukaryotic Luciferases

TABLE 2 Coelenterazine-dependent eukaryotic luciferases Gene product Organism Substrate Expression References/Patents Renilla Renilla Coelenterazine 480 nm cytosolic Mathews et al., Luciferase reniformis 1977 Lorenz et al, 1991 Lorenz et al. 1996 Alan, P; WO 0020619 Milton J., U.S. Pat. No. 5,418,155 Roelant C., WO 9938999 Vargula/ Vargula Vargula 460 nm secretory Thomspon et al., Cypridia hilgendorferii Luciferin 1989 Luciferase Thompson et al., 1990 Tora, JP 05064583 Tora, JP 08027200 Renard et al., WO 9520653 Watasemia Watasenia Watasemia ? cytosolic Inoue et al., 1976 Luciferase scintillans Luciferin Olophorus Olophorus Coelenterazine 454 secretion Inouye et al, 2000 Luciferase gracilirostris Aequorin Aequoria Coelenterazine 470 nm cytosolic Head et al. 2000 aequoria (Ca²⁺ Shimomura et al., activated) 2000 Jones et al., 1999 Kendall et al., 1998 Inouye et al., 1985 Shimomura et al., 1969 Cormier et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,441 Cormier et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,266 Obelin Obelia Coelenterazine 470 nm cytosolic Matveev et al., 1999 Berestovskaya, 1999

Coelenterazine-Independent Eukaryotic Luciferase

TABLE 3 Coelenterazine-independent eukaryotic luciferases Gene product Organism Substrate Expression References Firefly Photinus Firefly 550 cytosolic Webster et al., Luciferase pyralis Luciferin, nm 1980 Gould ATP et al., 1988 Sala-Newby et al, 1992 Bonin et al., 1994 Sherf B., U.S. Pat. No. 5,670,356 KIKK, JP 09187281

Luciferases can also be distinguished from each other on the basis of their substrate specificity. The most important substrates include coelenterazine (Jones et al., 1999) and luciferin, and also derivatives of the two substances. Diagrams of the substrates, and their transformation by luciferase, are shown below:

Luciferase Substrates

Some luciferase substrates, and their transformation, are depicted below by way of example. All the substrates which are shown here are transformed enzymically with the release of light and carbon dioxide (CO2) and consumption of oxygen (O₂). The dependence of the reaction on cofactors or energy carriers (e.g. ATP in the case of Firefly Luciferase) is enzyme-specific.

Coelenterazine

-   -   Transformation of coelenterazine into coelenteramide by aequorin         with the emission of light of wavelength 470 nm.

-   -   Transformation of luciferin into oxyluciferin by Firefly         Luciferase with the emission of light of wavelength 560 nm.

-   -   Transformation of Vargula Luciferin into Vargula Oxyluciferin by         Vargula Luciferase with the emission of light of wavelength 460         nm.

Reporter Systems

A reporter gene or indicator gene is the term which is generally given to genes whose gene products can readily be detected using simple biochemical or histochemical methods. At least 2 types of reporter gene are distinguished.

-   -   1. Resistance genes. Resistance genes is the term given to genes         whose expression confers on a cell resistance to antibiotics or         other substances whose presence in the growth medium leads to         cell death when the resistance gene is absent.     -   2. Reporter gene. In recombinant DNA technology, the products of         reporter genes are used as fused or unfused indicators. The most         common reporter genes include beta-galactosidase (Alam et al.,         1990), alkaline phosphatase (Yang et al., 1997; Cullen et al.,         1992), luciferases and other photoproteins (Shinomura, 1985;         Phillips G N, 1997; Snowdowne et al., 1984).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows: Plasmid maps of the vectors pTriplEX2-LuAL, pcDNA3-LuAL and pASM-LuAL.

FIG. 2 shows: Plasmid maps of the vectors pTriplEX2-Lu164, pcDNA3-Lu164 and pASM-Lu164.

FIG. 3 shows: Plasmid maps of the vectors pTriplEX2-Lu22, pcDNA3-Lu22 and pASM-Lu22.

FIG. 4 shows: Coelenterazine derivatives as potential substrates for Lu164. A. graphic representation of the luminescence which was measured, at 8.7 kV for 30 seconds, in a luminometer (RLU, relative light units); B. diagrams of the molecular structures of the coelenterazine derivatives.

FIG. 5 shows: Emission spectra of luciferases Lu164 (A), LuAL (B) and Lu22 (C) following bacterial expression. (RLU, relative light units).

FIG. 6 shows: Luciferase activity in CHO cell medium (5 μl) following transfection of the cells with pcDNA3-LuAL, pcDNA3-Firefly, pcDNA3-Lu164 and pcDNA3 as the control vector without any cDNA insertion. (RLU, relative light units; h, hours; Firefly: Firefly luciferase).

FIG. 7 shows: Temperature-dependent luciferase activity in CHO cell medium (5 μl) following transfection of the cells with pcDNA3-LuAL, pcDNA3-Firefly and pcDNA3-Lu164. (RLU: relative light units; Medium: DMEM-F12+10% FCS).

FIG. 8 shows: Induced expression of LuAL in CHO cells. The cells were induced with Forskolin (10-5 M) for 5 hours at 37° C. The activity was measured in 10 μl of cell supernatant (RLU: relative light units; induction factor: ratio of induced RLU to uninduced RLU).

FIG. 9 shows: Use of the luciferases as reporter genes for cellular systems taking as an example the G protein-coupled receptors A2A and NPY2. (RLU: relative light units).

CLASSIFICATION OF THE SPECIES METRIDIA LONGA

ArthropodaΠ→CrustaceaΠ→Copepoda

The species Metridia longa belongs to the crustacea, especially the copepoda or zooplancton.

Isolating the cDNA

In order to investigate the bioluminescence activity of the species Metridia longa, specimens were caught in the White Sea (Kartesh Biological Station, Russia) and stored in liquid nitrogen. In order to prepare cDNA libraries of Metridia longa, the RNA was isolated by the method of Krieg (Krieg et al., 1996) using isothiocyanate.

RT-PCR was carried out in order to prepare the cDNA. For this, 10 μg of RNA were incubated with reverse transcriptase (Superscript Gold II) in accordance with the following scheme:

PCR 1. 30 seconds 95° C. 2.  6 minutes 68° C. 3. 10 seconds 95° C. 4.  6 minutes 68° C. 17 cycles of step 4 after step 3

In order to inactivate the polymerase, the reaction products were incubated with proteinase K at 37° C. for 30 minutes, and the cDNA was precipitated with ethanol. The cDNA was dissolved in water and incubated at 37° C. for one hour with Sfil. The reaction products were subjected to gel filtration in order to separate off small fragments. The fractionated cDNA was then ligated into the Sfil-cut and dephosphorylated TriplEx2 vector. In order to prepare a phage expression library, the cloned cDNA fragments were subsequently packaged into phages using the SMART cDNA Library Construction Kit (Clontech) in-vitro packaging system.

The recombinant phages which contained a cDNA insertion with potential for expressing coelenterazine-dependent luciferases were identified by carrying out a library screening.

For this, bacterial lawns composed of E. coli XL1-Blue were plated out on 90 mm culture dishes and incubated at 37° C. for 10 hours. They were then infected with 2500 phages per culture dish, with this then being followed by an incubation phase of 8 hours at 37° C. to enable plaques to be formed. The culture dishes were subsequently stored at 4° C. for one hour in order to harden the soft agar.

In order to carry out a replica plating, nitrocellulose membranes were saturated with E. coli XL1-Blue suspensions and dried. The dry membranes were laid for 60 seconds on the phage plaques and then laid on fresh agar plates. The agar plates were then incubated at 37° C. for 2 hours and 4 ml of SOB medium (+10 mM MgSO4, 0.2% maltose) were added. The bacterial lawn was detached, resuspended in LB medium (+20 mM IPTG) and incubated at 37° C. for one hour. The bacteria were harvested by centrifugation and disrupted by ultrasonication, and the bioluminescence activity was determined in a luminometer after having added coelenterazine.

Culture plates giving a positive bioluminescence signal were divided into sectors and a fresh replica plating was carried out. The replica plating was continued until active individual plaques had been identified. In order to subclone the cDNA insertions in the phages in positive plaques [lacuna] took place into the pTriplEX2 vector in E. coli BM25.8 in accordance with the manufacturer's protocol for the SMART cDNA library construction kit. The pTriplEx2 cDNA-transfected E. coli were incubated overnight, at 37° C., in LB medium containing an ampicillin concentration of 100 μg/ml. In order to achieve overexpression, the overnight culture was diluted 1:150 with LB medium and incubated at 37° C. for 1 hour. Induction was then effected by adding IPTG (isopropylthiogalactoside) to a final concentration of 20 mM. The induced culture was incubated at 37° C. for 1 hour and the bacteria were harvested by centrifugation. The cells were disrupted by ultrasonication in 0.5 ml of SM buffer. The chemiluminescence was measured in a luminometer after adding 10 μl of coelenterazine (10⁻⁴ M in methanol).

Three luciferases which exhibited coelenterazine-dependent luciferase activity were identified. The luciferases were designated Lu164, LuAL and Lu22. The luciferases are described in detail below.

The invention also relates to functional equivalents of the three luciferases. Functional equivalents are those luciferases which have a comparable substrate spectrum, which are secreted and which are at least 70% homologous. A homology of 80% or 90% is preferred. A homology of 95% is particularly preferred.

The luciferases are suitable for use as reporter genes for cellular systems, especially for receptors, for ion channels, for transporters, for transcription factors or for inducible systems.

The luciferases can be used in bacterial systems, for example for titer determination or as substrates for biochemical systems, especially for proteinases.

The luciferases can also be used as reporter enzymes which are coupled to antibodies or other proteins, e.g. for ELISA, for immunohistochemistry or for Western blotting.

The luciferases can be used in BRET (Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer) systems.

The luciferases are also suitable for use as fusion proteins for confocal microscopy or for analyzing protein-protein interactions.

The luciferases can be used as reporter enzymes which are coupled to biotin, NHS, CN—Br or other coupling mediators, e.g. for ELISA or for immobilization.

The luciferases can furthermore be used as reporter enzymes which are coupled to DNA or RNA oligonucleotides, e.g. for Northern and Southern blotting or for real time PCR.

The invention also relates to the purification of the luciferases as wild-type or tag proteins, and to the use of the luciferases in in-vitro translation systems.

Nucleotide and Amino Acid Sequences

LuAL

The luciferase LuAL is a protein having a molecular weight of 23.7 kDa and an isoelectric point of 8.32. The coding nucleotide sequence is:

5′atggatatgagggttatctttgctcttgttttctcatcattggttcaggccaaatcaactgaattcgatcctaacattaac attgttggtttagaaggaaaatttggtataacaaaccttgagacggatttattcacaatatgggagacaatggatgtcat caaatcagatattacagatactgatagagtcagcaactttgttgcaactgaaaccgatgctaaccgtgggaaaatgc ctggcaaaaaactgccactggcagttatcatggaaatggaagccaatgctttcaaagctggctgcaccaggggatg ccttatctgtctttcaaaaataaagtgtacagccaaaatgaaggtgtacattccaggaagatgtcatgattatggtggtg acaagaaaactggacaggcaggaatagttggtgcaattgttgacattcccgaaatctctggatttaaggagatggca cccatggaacagttcattgctcaagttgatctttgcgctacctgcactactggatgtctcaaaggtcttgccaatgttaag tgctctgaactcctgaagaaatggctgcctggcagatgtgcaagttttgctgacaagattcaaaaagaagttcacaat atcaaaggcatggctggagatcgttga 3′

which gives rise to the following amino acid sequence:

MDMRVIFALVFSSLVQAKSTEFDPNINIVGLEGKFGITNLETDLFTIWE TMDVIKSDITDTDRVSNFVATETDANRGKMPGKKLPLAVIMEMEANAFK AGCTRGCLICLSKIKCTAKMKVYIPGRCHDYGGDKKTGQAGIVGAIVDI PEISGFKEMAPMEQFIAQVDLCATCTTGCLKGLANVKCSELLKKWLPGR CASFADKIQKEVHNIKGMAGDR

and the following amino acid composition:

Ala: 18 (8.3%) Cys: 10 (4.6%) Asp: 14 (6.4%)  Glu: 12 (5.5%)  Phe: 10 (4.6%) Gly: 19 (8.7%) His: 2 (0.9%) Ile: 18 (8.3%)  Lys: 21 (9.6%) Leu: 15 (6.9%) Met: 10 (4.6%)  Asn: 8 (3.7%) Pro:  7 (3.2%) Gln:  5 (2.3%) Arg: 7 (3.2%) Ser: 9 (4.1%) Thr: 15 (6.9%) Val: 14 (6.4%) Trp: 2 (0.9%) Tyr: 2 (0.9%)

Lu164

Luciferase Lu164 is a protein having a molecular weight of 23.8 kDa and an isoelectric point of 7.81. The coding nucleotide sequence is:

5′ atggatataaaggttgtctttactcttgttttctcagcattggttcaggcaaaatcaactgaattcgatcctaacattgac attgttggtttagaaggaaaatttggtataacaaaccttgagacggatttattcacaatatgggagacaatggaggtca tgatcaaagcagatattgcagatactgatagagccagcaactttgttgcaactgaaaccgatgctaaccgtggaaa aatgcctggcaaaaaactgccactggcagttatcatggaaatggaagccaatgctttcaaagctggctgcaccagg ggatgccttatctgtctttcaaaaataaagtgtacagccaaaatgaaggtgtacattccaggaagatgtcatgattatg gtggtgacaagaaaactggacaggcaggaatagttggtgcaattgttgacattcccgaaatctctggatttaaggag atggcacccatggaacagttcattgctcaagttgaacgttgcgcttcctgcactactggatgtctcaaaggtcttgcca atgttaagtgctctgaactcctgaagaaatggctgcctgacagatgtgcaagttttgctgacaagattcaaaaagaag ttcacaatatcaaaggcatggctggagatcgttga 3′

which gives rise to the following amino acid sequence:

MDIKVVFTLVFSALVQAKSTEFDPNIDIVGLEGKFGITNLETDLFTIWE TMEVMIKADIADTDRASNFVATETDANRGKMPGKKLPLAVIMEMEANAF KAGCTRGCLICLSKIKCTAKMKVYIPGRCHDYGGDKKTGQAGIVGAIVD IPEISGFKEMAPMEQFIAQVDRCASCTTGCLKGLANVKCSELLKKWLPD RCASFADKIQKEVHNIKGMAGDR

and the following amino acid composition:

Ala: 21 (9.6%) Cys: 10 (4.6%) Asp: 15 (6.8%)  Glu: 13 (5.9%)  Phe: 10 (4.6%) Gly: 18 (8.2%) His: 2 (0.9%) Ile: 18 (8.2%) Lys:  22 (10.0%) Leu: 14 (6.4%) Met: 10 (4.6%)  Asn: 7 (3.2%)  Pro:  7 (3.2%) Gln:  5 (2.3%) Arg: 7 (3.2%) Ser: 8 (3.7%) Thr: 14 (6.4%) Val: 14 (6.4%) Trp: 2 (0.9%) Tyr: 2 (0.9%)

Lu22

Luciferase Lu22 is a protein having a molecular weight of 20.2 kDa and an isoelectric point of 7.89. The coding nucleotide sequence is:

5′ atgggagtcaaacttatttttgctgttgtttgtgtcgcagttgcccaggctgccacaattcaggaaaattttgaagacat tgatcttgtagccataggtggcagctttgcatcagatgttgatgctaacagaggtggacatggtggacatcctggcaa aaagatgccaaaagaagtacttatggaaatggaagccaatgctaaacgagctggctgccacaggggttgtctggtt tgtctgtcacacatcaagtgcacagcacaaatgcagaagtttatcccaggaagatgccatagttatgcaggagaca aggattctgctcagggaggaattgccggtggtgccattgttgatatacctgaaattgccggatttaaagaaatgaagc ccatggaacagttcattgctcaagttgatctctgtgaagattgcacaactggatgcctcaaaggtcttgccaatgttcatt gctctgatctcctgaagaagtggctgccatcaagatgtaagacatttgcttccaaaattcaatctcaagtggataccat caaaggtttggctggagatcgttga 3′

which gives rise to the following amino acid sequence:

MGVKLIFAVVCVAVAQAATIQENFEDIDLVAIGGSFASDVDANRGGHGG HPGKKMPKEVLMEMEANAKRAGCHRGCLVCLSHIKCTAQMQKFIPGRCH SYAGDKDSAQGGIAGGAIVDIPEIAGFKEMKPMEQFIAQVDLCEDCTTG CLKGLANVHCSDLLKKWLPSRCKTFASKIQSQVDTIKGLAGDR

and the following amino acid composition:

Ala: 21 (11.1%) Cys: 11 (5.8%) Asp: 12 (6.3%)  Glu: 9 (4.7%) Phe: 7 (3.7%) Gly:  21 (11.1%) His: 6 (3.2%) Ile: 13 (6.8%)  Lys: 16 (8.4%)  Leu: 12 (6.3%) Met: 7 (3.7%) Asn: 4 (2.1%) Pro: 6 (3.2%) Gln:  9 (4.7%) Arg: 6 (3.2%) Ser: 9 (4.7%) Thr: 6 (3.2%) Val: 13 (6.8%) Trp: 1 (0.5%) Tyr: 1 (0.5%)

These sequences are also given in the sequence listing.

Enzymic Activity and Biochemical Characterization of the Luciferases

The proteins LuAL, Lu164 and Lu22 are enzymes which release light while transforming coelenterazine. They therefore belong to the luciferases. The luciferases can be actively expressed in both bacterial and eukaryotic cells. The luciferases LuAl, Lu164 and Lu22 which are expressed in eukaryotic cells are secreted. No secretion takes place in connection with bacterial expression.

The activity of the luciferases is temperature-dependent. Temperature optima of 22° C. (for LuAL) and 27° C. (for Lu164) were determined for the luciferases LuAL and Lu164, respectively. The temperature optimum for luciferase Lu22 activity is 4° C. or lower.

EXAMPLES

Plasmids/Constructs

The vectors employed for preparing the constructs which are described below were the vectors pcDNA3.1(+) and pTriplEx2 from Clontech and the vector pASMplr (in-house construct possessing cAMP-sensitive promoter elements; cre). The derivatives of the vectors were designated pcDNA3-x, pTriplEx2-x and pASM-x.

LuAL

FIG. 1 shows the plasmid maps of the vectors pTriplEX2-LuAL, pcDNA3-LuAL and pASM-LuAL

FIG. 2 shows the plasmid maps of the vectors pTriplEX2-Lu164, pcDNA3-Lu164 and pASM-Lu164

FIG. 3 shows the plasmid maps of the vectors pTriplEX2-Lu22, pcDNA3-Lu22 and pASM-Lu22

Coelenterazine Derivates as Substrates of Lu164

In order to identify substrates for Lu164, 10 μl solutions of different coelenterazine derivatives (10⁻⁴ M) were in each case incubated with 10 μl of supernatant from CHO-pcDNA3-Lu164 cell lines and the luminescence was measured. The coelenterazines were obtained from Molecular Probes (USA).

No differences as compared with luciferase Lu164 were seen in the case of luciferases LuAL and Lu22. Unmodified coelenterazine (FIG. B, coelenterazine a) was identified as being the optimal substrate for Lu164, LuAl and Lu22.

FIG. 4 shows coelenterazine derivatives as potential substrates for Lu164 and a graph of the measurement of luminescence for 30 seconds at 8.7 kV in a luminometer (RLU, relative light units); and also a diagram of the molecular structures of the coelenterazine derivatives.

Enzymic Activity of the Luciferases Lu164, LuAL and Lu22 in Dependence on Coelenterazine

Bacterial Expression

The bacterial expression took place in the E. coli strain BL21(DE3) as a result of transforming the bacteria with the expression plasmids pTriplEX2-Lu164, pTriplEX2-LuAL and pTriplEX2-Lu22. The transformed bacteria were incubated at 37° C. for 3 hours in LB medium and expression was induced for 4 hours by adding IPTG to a final concentration of 1 mM. The induced bacteria were harvested by centrifugation, resuspended in PBS and disrupted by ultrasonication. Coelenterazine (10⁻⁴ M in methanol) or luciferin (Firefly Luciferin) was added to 5 μl of the lysate (5 mg/ml) and the chemiluminescence was measured.

The measurement, in RLU (relative light units), took place at 9.5 kV for 30 seconds. Values of 230 000, 320 000 and 260 000 RLU were measured in the case of Lu164, LuAL and Lu22, respectively. The enzymes were expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) using the vectors pTriplEx2-Lu164, pTriplEx2-LuAL and pTriplEx2-Lu22.

Eukaryotic Expression

Constitutive eukaryotic expression was affected in CHO cells by transfecting the cells with the expression plasmids pcDNA3-Lu164, pcDNA3-LuAL and pcDNA3-Lu22 in transient experiments. For this, 10 000 cells in DMEM-F12 medium were plated, per well, in 96-well microtiter plates and incubated overnight at 37° C. The transfection was effected using the Fugene 6 kit (Roche) in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. The transfected cells were incubated overnight at 37° C. in DMEM-F12 medium. The chemiluminescence in the medium (5 μl) and the cell lysate (5 μl) was measured for 30 seconds at 9.5 kV in a luminometer, at room temperature, after adding coelenterazine (10⁻⁴ M in methanol).

Values of 680 000, 670 000 and 510 000 RLU (relative light units) were measured in the case of Lu164, LuAL and Lu22, respectively. The expression was effected in CHO cells using the vectors pcDNA3-Lu164, pcDNA3-LuAL and pcDNA3-Lu22.

Emission Spectra of the Luciferases Lu164, LuAL and Lu22

In order to measure the emission spectra, E. coli BL21(DE3) cells were transformed with the plasmids pTriplEx2-Lu164, pTriplEx2-LuAL and pTriplEx2-Lu22 and overexpressed as described under 3.1. 50 μl of coelenterazine (10⁻⁴ M) were added to 100 μl volumes of the bacterial lysates and the emission spectra were measured. Graphs of the emission spectra of the luciferases are shown below.

In the case of the luciferases LuAL, Lu164 and Lu22, maximum emission resulting from the substrate transformation takes place at a wavelength of about 490 nm.

FIG. 5 shows the emission spectra of the luciferases Lu164 (A), LuAL (B) and Lu22 (C) following bacterial expression (RLU, relative light units)

Secretion of the Luciferases Lu164, LuAL and Lu22 from CHO Cells, Taking as Examples Lu164 and LuAL

In order to characterize the expression of the luciferases LuAl, Lu164 and Lu22 in eukaryotic cells, CHO cells were stably transfected with the plasmids pcDNA3-LuAl, pcDNA3-Lu164, pcDNA3-Fireluc and pcDNA3.1(+). The resulting clones were cultured in DMEM-F12 medium. Firefly luciferase was used as a positive control for nonsecreted luciferase. The plasmid pcDNA3.1(+) was used as a control plasmid for detecting potential endogenous activity in the CHO parent cell.

In order to detect the secretion of the luciferases, 2000 cells were plated on 384-well microtiter plates. After 24 hours, the medium was removed and the cells were washed with Tyrode solution and 30 μl of fresh medium were added. The first measurement (0 h) then took place, in a luminometer at 9.5 kV for 30 seconds, after adding 5 μl of coelenterazine (10⁻⁴ M) or luciferin in the case of the Firefly luciferase. The 1 h to 5 h measurements took place after one to five hours.

FIG. 6 depicts the increase in luciferase activity in the medium in dependence on the time. The Firefly luciferase was not secreted. The luciferases LuAL, Lu164 and Lu22 are secretory luciferases.

FIG. 6 shows the luciferase activity in the CHO cell medium (5 μl) after the CHO cells have been transfected with pcDNA3-LuAL, pcDNA3-Firefly, pcDNA3-Lu164 or pcDNA3 as the control vector without any cDNA insertion. (RLU, relative light units; h, hours; Firefly: Firefly luciferase)

Dependence of the Luciferase Activity on the Temperature

In order to determine the temperature dependence of the luciferases Lu22, Lu164 and LuAL, CHO cells were transiently transfected with the vectors pcDNA3-Lu22, pcDNA3-Lu164 and pcDNA3-LuAl and the luciferase activity in the supernatants was determined at temperatures of between 0 and 47° C. In order to do this, the cell supernatant and the coelenterazine solution were adapted to the measurement temperature for 5 minutes. The measurement took place at 9.5 kV for 30 seconds in a luminometer.

FIG. 7 shows the luminescence which was measured, in dependence on the temperature, in the case of the luciferases LuAl, Lu164 and Lu22. The temperature optimum for the luciferase activity of LuAL is 27° C. A temperature optimum of 22° C. and of 4° C. or lower was determined in the case of Lu164 and Lu22, respectively.

FIG. 7 shows the temperature-dependent luciferase activity in CHO cell medium (5 μl) following transfection with pcDNA3-LuAL, pcDNA3-Firefly and pcDNA3-Lu164. (RLU: relative light units; medium: DMEM-F12+10% FCS)

Induced Expression of the Luciferases Lu164, LuAL and Lu22 in CHO Cells Taking as an Example LuAL

Eukaryotic expression was induced in CHO cells by transfecting the cells with the expression plasmid pASM-LuAL in transient experiments. For this, 10 000 cells in DMEM-F12 medium were plated per well in 96-well microtiter plates and incubated overnight at 37° C. The transfection was effected using the Fugene 6 kit (Roche) in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. The transfected cells were incubated overnight, at 37° C., in DMEM-F12 medium. They were then induced with Forkolin (10⁻⁵ M) for 5 hours. The chemiluminescence in the medium and in the cell lysate was then measured, at 9.5 kV for 30 seconds, in a luminometer after having added coelenterazine (10⁻⁴ M in methanol).

FIG. 8 shows the induced expression of LuAL in CHO cells. The expression was induced for 5 hours with Forskolin (10⁻⁵ M) at 37° C. The activity was measured in 10 μl of cell supernatant (RLU: relative light units; induction factor: ratio of induced RLU to uninduced RLU)

Use of the Luciferases Lu164, LuAL and Lu22 as Reporter Genes in Cellular Systems Taking as Examples the Receptors NPY2 and A2A and Using LuAL as the Reporter Gene

In order to be able to analyze the activation of G protein-coupled receptors by receptor-specific ligand in cell-based systems, the cDNA sequence for luciferase LuAL was cloned into the expression vector pASMplr. The expression vector pASMplr contains cAMP-sensitive promoter elements (CRE) which enable the intracellular concentration of cAMP to be measured indirectly. The luciferase serves as the reporter gene in the system.

The use of the luciferases Lu22, Lu164 and Lu22 as reporter genes in cellular systems was demonstrated by taking as an example the G protein-coupled receptors NPY2 (neuropeptide receptor 2) and A2A (adenosine receptor 2a). To do this, the stable clone CHO-pASM-LuAL was transiently transfected with the vector pcDNA3-NPY2 or the vector pcDNA3-A2A. The receptor NPY2 is a Gi-coupled receptor, while the A2A receptor is a Gs-coupled receptor.

The A2A receptor was activated for 4 h by adding 1 μM NECA. The NPY2 receptor was activated by adding 10 μM NPY2 peptide in the presence of 10⁻⁵ M Forskolin. The luciferase activity in the medium (30 μl) was measured, at 9.5 kV and for 30 seconds in a luminometer, after having added coelenterazine (10⁻⁴ M).

FIG. 9 shows the use of the luciferases as reporter genes for cellular systems taking as an example the G protein-coupled receptors A2A and NPY2. (RLU: relative light units)

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What is claimed is:
 1. A DNA or RNA molecule having the sequence for the luciferase LuAL, Lul 64, Lul 6, Lu39, Lu45, Lu52 or Lu22 or a functional equivalent thereof.
 2. A molecule as claimed in claim 1, in which the sequence contains a functional promoter located 5′ to the sequence.
 3. A molecule as claimed in claim 2 which is a component of a recombinant DNA or RNA vector.
 4. An organism which harbors a vector as described in claim
 3. 5. An oligonucleotide which contains more than 10 consecutive nucleotides which are identical or complementary to the DNA or RNA sequence.
 6. A peptide which is encoded by a nucleotide sequence as claimed in claim
 1. 7. A peptide which contains more than 5 consecutive amino acids which are immunologically recognized by antibodies directed against Lul 64, LuAL or Lu22.
 8. The use of the luciferases as claimed in claim 1 as reporter genes for cellular systems. 